Ball: Chelsea loss inspired Blues

MICHAEL Ball believes the Blues' season turned around the night they lost to champions Chelsea. The former Everton, Rangers and PSV defender reckons the perverse boost in confidence gained from that fifth straight defeat, coupled with the determination to save boss Stuart Pearce from any more criticism, stemmed the tide.

MICHAEL Ball believes the Blues' season turned around the night they lost to champions Chelsea.

The former Everton, Rangers and PSV defender reckons the perverse boost in confidence gained from that fifth straight defeat, coupled with the determination to save boss Stuart Pearce from any more criticism, stemmed the tide.

And having won back-to-back away games to ease but not erase their relegation worries, Ball is adamant that City can maintain their momentum right through until the end of the campaign.

"The boss stood at the front taking all the stick for the boys but deep down we knew it was up to us to make things better," said Ball in the wake of another impressive performance in the 1-0 win at Newcastle.

"He could point fingers and tell us what to do and how to line up but ultimately it is in the hearts and heads of the players.

"We didn't want Stuart Pearce to get all the stick because we are all in it together and I think we have shown in the last two performances that we have stood up for ourselves and got the wins we deserved.

"We cannot take anything for granted because the sides in the bottom three have also been picking up victories. We cannot sit back on our laurels, we have a six-pointer against Charlton on Friday which we have to win.

Watershed

"It has been a decent couple of weeks for us but we knew before the Newcastle game that the win at Boro would count for nothing if we didn't back it up.

"I think that the Chelsea game was a watershed because, although we got nothing out of the match in terms of points, it boosted our confidence a great deal.

"There has been a lot of pressure on us and but we have managed to play to the standards that we did against Chelsea and we have got the results we wanted and needed."

Ball, who arrived from PSV Eindhoven in the January transfer window, has slotted in well whether it be as a full-back in a 4-4-2 formation or a wing-back in a 3-5-2 but heaps praise on central defenders Richard Dunne and Sylvain Distin for giving the side their backbone.

The 27-year-old who learned the game alongside Dunne as a teenager in Everton's Academy is understandably keen to remain part of that unit, hoping that free agent Distin stays at the club.

"There have been 12 or 13 clean sheets this season so defensively we have been sound and the big difference recently is that we have taken our scoring chances when we have been on top," he pointed out.

"Richard is so fast and so strong and confident on the ball, he is an excellent defender but as a leader he is second to none.

"He had his reasons for saying what he did a couple of weeks back about players putting more effort in but if you look from the Chelsea game onwards we have played as a team and if there were splits in the camp you cannot play like that. Hopefully that has now been put to bed and we are determined to carry our good form forward.

"It is a pleasure to play in the back four. Both Richard and Sylvain are playing superbly.

"We know that they are incredibly reliable and likely to get us out of any difficult situation."